Plug connectors are known that comprise a contact support having a number of contact chambers that corresponds to the number of contacts that these contact chambers are to receive, each contact being mounted on one end of an electrical conductor of a cable, in other words each contact is mechanically fixed and electrically contacted at this end. In the simplest case, the contact support comprises a contact chamber that receives only one contact. In practice, plug connectors are also already known that comprise a contact support that comprises more than one contact chamber in a row, where appropriate however also in multiple rows that lie parallel with one another.
During the procedure of assembling such plug connectors, the contact is mounted in an appropriate manner at the end of the respective electrical conductor of the cable and subsequently inserted into the contact chamber in the contact support. In order for the contact to be fixed in its contact chamber, the contacts comprise in a known manner a flexible protruding spring lug. This spring lug is moved out of its starting position as the contact is pushed into the contact chamber until the contact is in the contact chamber. Once this contact has achieved its final position, the spring lug moves back into its starting position and as a result latches with a corresponding undercut on the contact support of the plug connector. For this purpose, it is necessary to equip such contacts with these spring lugs, as a result of which such contacts have a complex shape and are consequently complex to produce. Moreover, it is necessary during the assembly procedure to take care that, after the contact has been inserted into its contact chamber, the spring lug also latches in the proper manner with the undercut. It is often not possible for this to occur if the contact is not fully inserted and in the intended orientation in its respective contact chamber.
Furthermore, it is also already known that the contact support is provided with an outer housing after the contact is in its respective contact chamber. There are fundamentally two possibilities for this. On the one hand, the outer housing may be achieved using an injection molding method. However, this requires complex measures that on the one hand prevent the injection molding mass from passing into the contact chamber and into the seat of the plug connector for a mating plug connector. Moreover, in order to achieve the longitudinal water tightness that is frequently required, it is absolutely necessary that the tolerances during the injection molding procedure and the materials used for the outer sheath of the cable and the injection molding mass to be coordinated with one another in an optimal manner so as to form the outer housing. If this is achieved, the connection between the injection molding mass, which forms the outer housing, and the contact support and also the outer sheath of the cable produces a sufficiently leak-tight connection, and the injection-molded outer housing also provides the likewise frequently required strain relief.
However, there are applications where such plug connectors are used in a high temperature environment. The term ‘high temperature’ is understood to mean all temperatures that are clearly above the ambient temperature and to which a vehicle is by way of example exposed. Such temperatures are not only temperatures that arise as a result of external heat rays (sun rays) but also temperatures that prevail at the installation site of the plug connector (such as for example in the engine bay or transmission housing, in the region of the axles or in other installation spaces in which temperatures rise). Moreover, there is always the problem in such installation spaces that the plug connection, which is formed from the plug connector and a mating plug connector, is exposed to water, spray water, moisture and the like.
In order to be able to counteract the high temperatures, it is already known to produce the casing line (outer sheath) of the cable from a high temperature-resistant material. Whereas such an outer sheath has exceptionally high resistance characteristics (water tightness, heat resistance and the like) at the installation site, there is however the problem that in such a case it is not possible to form the outer housing using an injection molding procedure. The reason for this is that during the injection molding procedure the material that forms the injection molding mass is brought up to higher temperatures so that it melts and may be accordingly injection molded. However, during the injection molding procedure this temperature does not cause the material of the outer sheath of the cable to dissolve since the precise purpose of this outer sheath is to withstand high temperatures. As a consequence, it is not possible to achieve a united connection between the injection molding mass and the high temperature-resistant outer sheath of the cable. The consequences of this are that it is not possible to achieve longitudinal water tightness or also a strain relief. This problem does not arise by way of example if the outer sheath of the cable is made of a material that is not resistant to high temperatures, such as by way of example polyurethane (PUR).